17

After lunch, it's time for even more studying. It wears me out, but also wakes me up. I feel tired, but energized at the same time. My brain is fried and my body hasn't been moving for hours, but I could run a marathon. Or anything, to be honest, if it means I get to escape these equations.

Most of all, I feel like singing. Letting it all out, putting everything into words. Not the nice kind of singing, the kind of singing you do when you're with a group of friends in a car and your favourite song comes on. The screaming kind, where you move your whole body along, not to do some beautiful dance, but to shake it all off.

However, I can't do that here. I only do that in the club room, when I'm all alone and no one else is expected to come in for a while. So instead, I softly hum the lyrics of an energetic song I heard on the radio not too long ago. Or, well, not exactly the lyrics. Just the two sentences I remember well, that keep playing on repeat in my head.

Jerah taps on my shoulder. "Are you alright? You seem kinda out of it." Although it should be a sympathetic question, it sounds like he asked it because he had to, not out of worry or anything nice like that.

I shake my head. "I'm tired. I could go for a nap," I say while suppressing a yawn. It comes out anyways, resulting in a longer yawn than intended. I stretch out and bat my eyes.

The blond sighs. "Did you not sleep well?"

"No, I just can't stand these boring equations," I answer honestly. "Sorry."

"Think you can hold on a little longer?"

"Yes." Hopefully. My eyelids feel kind of heavy, and I can't help but let out another yawn. "Let's just get it over with."

This seems to convince my tutor that I was lying, as he does something unexpected. He stands up and takes the few pillows that were on the couch. Instead of letting them rest against the back of it, he places them down. After that, he goes to sit right next to them. "Take a nap. I'll read a book," he says.

I look at him, surprised, and apparently also in a weird way, because he frowns. Did he just show sympathy? This stone cold guy who seems to feel nothing but irritation? I quickly snap myself out of the shock and gratefully accept the offer.

I lay my head down on the pillows, right next to his legs. Why didn't he put them on the other end? Is he afraid my feet smell? I frown too, now afraid to move, barely even daring to breathe. I'm scared to annoy him by touching his leg. But the slow breathing also slows down my heartbeat, resulting in me falling asleep even faster than my tired brain anticipated.